DIGITAL LITERACY &
COMMUNITY NETWORKS MATTER

in improving Quality of Life,
Civic Engagement and Community Productivity

Version 1.2, January 2006,

We, as persons engaged in civic improvements, or as managers, instructors and technology support staff and volunteers or financial or in-kind supporters of Community Technology access and training in community, afterschool, library, workforce, community college, health care, public parks and other local public access centers and consumer information kiosks in public and nonprofit human service agencies and small business community enterprise support centers, and in pre-school to postsecondary education school settings, and as supporters of the Illinois vision of a statewide Human Services Learning Network, do hereby state and affirm that:

1. Digital Literacy, Access and Equity are essential for Illinois’ future: We require consistent, long-term investment from the public, private and voluntary sectors in order to achieve and sustain a healthy quality of life for individuals, families and communities.

2. Digital Literacy rests upon a foundation of general literacy: Efforts to bridge the digital divide should integrate well across educational and civic institutions.

3. Digital Literacy Matters for Everyone: People in all communities should have the opportunity to be connected to the world and to each other through a variety of technologies and platforms, regardless of location, age, economic standing, linguistic or physiological constraints.

4. Digital Literacy and Access are essential for equitable use of Government and Public services.

5. Communities of place, interest and concern afford opportunity for civic engagement, and Community Networking underpins Civic Engagement in the Information Age.

6. Civic Engagement Matters as a way in which individuals, families and community enterprises “learn” digital literacy skills.

7. We as a society and world benefit through the public convenience and necessity of affordable connectivity for all.

8. We acknowledge the need for public and cooperative public-private digital literacy trust funds and outreach activities to enable all in society to participate.